Blessed water might be holy but it isn't healthy, according to research completed by three Co Clare students.
Transition year students Sarah Daly (16), Noreen Murphy (15) and AnneMarie Sexton (15), from Scoil Mhuire, Ennistymon, tested holy water from fonts and from supplies kept in bottles in students' homes. In all cases the water was found to harbour exceptional bacterial contamination - definitely not the thing to sip or offer to someone who is ill.
"A priest told us it was safe to drink," said Anne-Marie, and that it was a health-giving and wholesome thing. "It's not scientifically safe," she said. Salt was sometimes added to kill bacteria but this didn't help the samples they tested.
The idea for the project had a "clerical" source, explained Sarah - Father Ted is filmed in Co Clare and the programme once featured Father Jack sipping from a holy water bottle.
The students grew bacterial cultures from the water samples and found coliforms, staphylococcus, yeasts and moulds in their samples. Their advice? Mind how you use it and don't expect its spiritual qualities to overcome its earthly dangers.
The dangerous organisms lurking in holy water are timorous compared to some that can be found in the domestic water supply if it is not treated properly.
David Citron (16), of Stratford College, Dublin, spent three weeks in the school laboratory last summer devising a simple and inexpensive test for bacteria in water. It is based on alkaline phosphatase, which is found in all living organisms, including bacteria.
Originally, tests for alkaline phosphatase were used to determine if an insect had been cooked in a food sample. An unfortunate consumer who had found an insect in his food would submit the sample, insect included, for testing. Organisms cooked above 70C do not contain alkaline phosphatase so it could then be determined if the insect had entered the food sample before or after cooking.
David applied the same principle to bacteria in water in order to create his simple "Bactest" kit. A water sample is added to P-Nitrophenol Phosphate in a test tube, the mixture is shaken and then the tube is left in a warm place for 24 hours. If bacteria are present, a yellow colour is found in the sample which can then be compared to the standard yellow colour which indicates an acceptable level of bacteria.
The test kit is now being marketed by a company in Trinity College Dublin, and, according to David, is suitable for domestic use and also for use in developing countries to test the quality of the water supply.
Bacteriological beasties are everywhere so personal hygiene is very important, according to three second-year students from the Ursuline Convent, Thurles, Co Tipperary, who have developed their own "Bugzapper" anti-bacterial hand soap and information leaflet.
Lucy Alley, Anna Lavery and Miriam Logan (all 14) carried out an 11month study of bacteria on the hands. They sterilised test equipment then cultured bacteria taken with swabs from various parts of the hand. They assessed the efficacy of various cleansing agents and also the relative safety of different hand-drying methods. Shared hand towels are definitely out, based on their work.
The study became more complex as they tested for gram positive and negative forms, using stains and microscopic inspection to determine the types of bacteria found. They also considered if using hand creams were a help or hindrance in terms of hygiene.
Aileen Murray (14) and Melissa Branigan (14), of Our Lady's College, Greenhills, Drogheda, searched for their bacteria elsewhere - in the waters off popular Co Louth bathing beaches. Needless to say, they found them.
They tested Clogherhead, Mornington, Bettystown and Laytown, measuring bacterial forms associated with sewage pollution - coliforms and in particular E coli. "The tide position had a strong influence on the results," explained Aileen.
Sewage discharges into the sea are moved about by the tides so the time these discharges occur is very important, says Melissa. "They should pump it out when the tide is going out," she said.
Clogherhead is an EU Blue Flag beach and it, Bettystown and Laytown all had bacterial counts low enough to meet EU standards. There were problems at Mornington, however, where they detected bacteria "too numerous to count".